Blair (Doc) Holladay for Folly Beach City Council
Blair “Doc” Holladay is running for Folly Beach City Council to restore property rights, protect our island from flooding, improve pedestrian safety, and create fair parking solutions. With deep roots in the community, Doc stands for common-sense policies that preserve Folly’s vibrant character while putting residents first.
Meet Blair (Doc) Holladay
Blair “Doc” Holladay is a lifelong advocate for community balance, a property owner and resident of Folly Beach, and someone with deep family roots in the area. His passion for preserving the vibrant, eclectic character of Folly while championing the rights of its residents is what drives his campaign. Doc believes in common-sense solutions that reflect the needs of all who call Folly home—whether you’ve lived here 30 years or just moved in.
Platform Priorities
Restore Property Rights
– Doc strongly supports short-term rentals (STRs) and opposes the current STR cap. He believes the cap is unfair, discriminatory, and damaging to both property values and community equity. Folly Beach should not be compared to Sullivan’s Island or other restrictive municipalities. We are unique—and our policies should reflect that.
Affordable Housing
Drainage & Flood Mitigation
– Flooding is a real and growing issue. Doc is committed to identifying smart, infrastructure-based solutions that tackle our drainage problems island-wide and protect homes, roads, and businesses.
Pedestrian Access & Safety
– Our beach access roads need sidewalks and improved pedestrian infrastructure. Doc supports initiatives that prioritize walkability, safety, and accessibility for all residents and visitors.
Sensible Parking Solutions
– Instead of privatization and increased ticketing, Doc will fight for practical, resident-focused parking policies that support both locals and tourism-based businesses.
Vote November 4th — Restore Your Property Rights!
The Truth About the STR Cap
The short-term rental cap has already shown a negative impact on our housing market. With over 70 active listings and rising cumulative days on market, Folly Beach is seeing declining demand and suppressed values. This cap has divided our community, made it harder for families to keep generational homes, and stripped future residents of their rights.
The reasons given for imposing the cap by its supporters have proven to be false, such as increased property values and fewer nuisance violations (noise/public intoxication, etc). The 9/14 Post & Courier published the following article on how Folly Beach real estate has been affected >>>
The quality of life on Folly has not changed either. It’s still good. Reference to the City of Folly STR website shows that the Cap was a solution in search of a problem. Out of the thousands and thousands of rental nights on Folly in 2025, the overwhelming number of citations issued were for things like house numbers, garbage cans or turtle lighting violations. See for yourself:
https://www.cityoffollybeach.com/short-term-rental-enforcement
Doc supports reinstating fair and flexible STR policies that reflect the true makeup of our community: working families, hospitality professionals, long-time locals, and new residents who all contribute to the Folly spirit.A Collaborative Vision
Doc proudly supports and aligns with mayoral candidate Elton Culpepper. Both candidates share a commitment to preserving Folly’s character while implementing responsible solutions that work for everyone. Their partnership reflects a new era of cooperation and grassroots leadership.
Affordable housing for Folly Beach
This is a long-term issue that often claims short-term rentals harm long-term rentals. However, that’s untrue. Think about it—is someone really going to purchase a six-bedroom beach house to convert it into long-term rental? Instead, they buy houses that might have been short-term rentals before the STR cap, using them as second homes that they hardly ever use and as a result subsequently contribute little to the economy. We need something to address the inequity of the fact that people that are renters are being penalized trying to live at Folly, whether in the hospitality industry or otherwise, all while wealthy people who can retire out here and don't need to rent their house at all get to pay less property tax. There are three solutions:
Solution 1.
Since Charleston County allows auxiliary dwelling units (ADU) on properties with setbacks and minimal water and sewage usage impact, but not for short-term rentals, allow and encourage long-term ADU’s. Again, there’s no danger of it ever being a short-term rental. The issue: Construction approvals on Folly Beach are often not approved because of the argument of sewer/septic impact and insurance company restrictions. However, adding a one-bedroom house to a two-bedroom, two-bath cottage is less impactful than converting a two-bedroom, two-bath cottage into a six-bedroom, six-bath house. As for insurance, let folks make their own decision if they want to build a house that they self -insure if they can’t buy insurance. Their money, their house. A real solution for affordable long-term housing is to increase its availability. We now know that banning short-term rentals hasn’t increased inventory— and won’t. However, we can simplify the process of building ADUs and provide clear guidelines to encourage people to create more long-term rental housing.
Solution 2.
South Carolina doesn’t offer the homestead break to property owners who own second properties who don’t live there, which is unfair to long-term rental renters who pay high property taxes. Folly Beach could grant a special voucher to long-term renters to cover their rent. The voucher would not be free money; renters would still pay rent. The reality is these vouchers could be significant, and the long-term renter can use it to help offset expenses for their landlord (who is paying 6% tax and passing the increased rent back to the long-term renter). It encourages landlords to keep their properties as long-term rentals, even if the STR cap goes away. This is something too that would incentivize landlords and people that own property to keep their property as a long-term rental.
Solution 3.
We must address the issue of affordable housing inventory. Although the city has turned down proposals for affordable small unit housing for hospitality people and making it difficult--while approving “small hotels- the same square footage of those rooms could be used to create studio apartments for long-term rent. The approval would be in the same square footage, septic impact, and without affecting density. Ironically, the city has approved the same habitation density for businesses use, but not for community residential use.
To summarize, affordable housing for Folly Beach is a long-term issue often used as problematic claiming short-term rentals harm long-term rentals. Here are three solutions that can help affordable long-term rent solutions:
- Consider allowing homeowners to add ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) to preserve Folly Beach’s unique vibe and future. Although not every lot is perfect, older, charming cottages with bigger yards could help. ADUs can make it easier to keep authentic cottages.
- Provide tax credits to address the unfairness that long-term renters pay more taxes than full-time residents.
- Create a framework and invite people to invest in multi-dwelling units, like many other cities. These cities have created programs and incentives to encourage investment, which can address similar issues. Folly Beach has been a deterrent to these investments; we can change that!
Why Vote for Doc Holladay?
- Local perspective.
- Data-driven solutions.
- Community-first mindset.
Doc’s background as a homeowner, neighbor, and family man gives him the insight and perspective we need on city council. He’s not a career politician—he’s one of us, and he’s ready to stand up for what makes Folly Beach special.
Get Involved with Doc Holladay’s Campaign
Have a question, want a yard sign, or ready to volunteer?
Your voice matters. Use the form to reach out directly to Doc’s campaign team. Simply check the box that applies — whether you’d like to:
- Ask a question
- Request a yard sign
- Volunteer your time
Fill out your information, and we’ll follow up with you as soon as possible. Together, we can protect property rights, create fair policies, and keep Folly Beach the vibrant, welcoming community we all love.